It was on the quiet Wednesday Evening at the Antigua Stadium, the West Indian Powerhouse set the stadium ablaze by becoming the only third player in the history of the sport to hit six sixes in an over in an international match. He was welcomed to the elite list by the sixer king- Yuvraj Singh and South African hard-hitting opener- Herschelle Gibbs.
What made the situation even more interesting was that Akila Dananjaya came into the bowl the sixth over just after claiming a hat-trick in his very previous over, which included the likes of starlets- Chris Gayle and Nicholas Pooran. The 27-year old’s merry run was soon brought to an end by Pollard after managing to club the off-spinner all around the stadium.
Though wickets kept plunging at one end, the hosts managed to hold their innings together with the help of Pollard and all-rounder Jason Holder. The Lankans once again failed to register a fighting score on the board and their misery at the International level continued.
West Indies will be eyeing a white-wash here as that would mean they move up to 7th place in the ICC T20I rankings. The hosts are currently placed 10th on the table. While the Lankans find themselves in the 7th position. But series defeat here could see them experience a drastic drop in the table.
Can Angelo Mathews and Co. find a way to bounce back against the mighty West Indies side? Or will the Windies once again make easy work of the depleted Lankans?
Match Toss Time: 17:30 Local (03:00 IST)
Match Start Time: 18:00 Local (03:30 IST)
Match Venue: Coolidge Cricket Ground, Antigua
Weather Report
Ideal conditions for the game as we are expected to have clear skies throughout the duration of the match. The temperature is expected to hover at 26-23 degrees Celsius. The humidity though is forecasted to be on the higher side- 81 percent at the peak.
Pitch
The strip in Antigua is usually on the slower side and the spinners are likely to play a major role. The team winning the toss should be looking to bowl first as with the humidity on the higher side, the dew factor could well come into play. The team batting first should be looking to score anywhere between the 170-175 mark to fancy their chances of winning.
Team News
West Indies will be happy to feature the same Xl that participated in the 1st T20I. The team looks to have a very good balance and except for Pooran and Gayle, the remaining players did play their part. The hosts have no reason to fiddle with the playing Xl.
Sri Lanka on the other hand will be looking to take the positives out of the first match. The debutant- Pathum Nissanka played a wonderful inning of 39 of 34 balls and showed great intent. The 23-year old all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga too showcased exemplary potential. Dushmantha Chameera was on the expensive side and with no margin of error in the upcoming encounter, the management may be looking to replace him with the 23-year old spearhead- Asitha Fernando.
Probable Playing Xl
West Indies (WI): Lendl Simmons, Evin Lewis, Chris Gayle, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Kieron Pollard (c), Jason Holder, Fabian Allen, Dwayne Bravo, Kevin Sinclair, Obed McCoy, Fidel Edwards
Sri Lanka (SL): Danushka Gunathilaka, Niroshan Dickwella (wk), Pathum Nissanka, Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Mathews (c), Ashen Bandara, Thisara Perera, Wanindu Hasaranga, Akila Dananjaya, Dushmantha Chameera/Asitha Fernando, Nuwan Pradeep
WI vs SL Fantasy Team
Nicholas Pooran, Niroshan Dickwella, Chris Gayle, Danushka Gunathilaka, Pathum Nissanka, Kieron Pollard, Jason Holder, Wanindu Hasaranga, Obed McCoy, Dwyane Bravo, Akila Danajaya
Captain Picks: Nicholas Pooran (WI), Pathum Nissanka (SL)
Vice-captain Picks: Wanindu Hasaranga (SL), Kieron Pollard (WI)
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